Hat stretcher and shaper



D. FREED'LINE. HAT STRETCHER AND SHAPvER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11. 1920.

D. FREEDLINE. HATSTRETCHER AND sHAPEH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR, 17, 1920.

Patented May 31, 1921.

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,DAVID FnEEnLiNE, or BROOKLYN, NEW Yong.

AHAT STRETCHER .AND SHAPER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patged Maly i731., 1921 Application' ledrMarch V17, 1920. Serial No. 366,562.

Be it known that I, DAVID Fitnnnniiin, a

` citizen ofthe United States, and a resident of the city j Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Hat Stretcher and Shaper, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact deor other protuberances or irregularities on the customers head.

Another object is to allow quick and convenient adjustment of the movable parts of the stretcher and shaper and to hold the Lsame locked in the adjusted position. f

Another object is to permit of readily ironing or steaming the rim or base portion ofthe-crown of the hat.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novelfeature of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims.

i A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying `drawhat stretcher and shaper;

ings forming a part of this specification, in

which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved Fig 2 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of a portion of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar View of another portion ofthe same -on the line 3 3 of Fig.,1; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation of one of the main stretching and shaping members.

withv an auxiliary stretching and shaping member moved into active position on the ysaidmain stretching and shaping member;

Fig. 5` is an enlarged side elevation4 of 'a portion of the hat stretcher and Shaper and showing lmore particularly the locking defvicesfor the screw rods, one of the lockj, kving devices being shown in unlocking position and another in locking position;

Fig. 61 isaplan view of the improved hat of New York, borough of stretcher and. shaper with the special con- Ytinuous shaping band in Y.position on the `main stretching and shaping members; and

'F ig. 7 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the same on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6.

rlhe base 10 of the hat stretcher and Shaper is preferably made' oval` and formed with a number of recesses 11, preferably disposed radially on the top of thebase 1, and in each of the saidrecesses 11 extends a nut 12 depending from a main stretching and shaping member 13 of segmental shape and mounted to slideinward or Aoutward on the top of thel base 10. The hat stretching and shaping members 13. when in innermost position have their` ends in close proximity andL the said stretching and shaping members in the aggregate forni an ovaladapted to iit against the inner face ofthe lower portion of the -crown of a hatto be stretched. 1n each of the nuts 12 screws'a screw rod 15 abutting with its inner end on an abut-AV ment socket 16Y forming part ofthe inner wall .of the corresponding recess v11. .The

screw rod 15 extends through the recess and through a supporting plate 17 fastened to the edge of the base 10, as plainly shown in Fig. The outer end of each screw rod 15 terminates in a handle 2O Vprojecting a distance from the edge ofthe base 10 to allow the salesman to readily turn the screw yrod lwith a view to move thel nut 12 and the corresponding stretching and shaping member 13 inward or outward on the base 10 vaccording vto the direction in which the screw rod 15 is turned at the time. v

A covering plate 25 closesthe top of each recess 11 and this covering plate'25 is flush with the top Aof the baseV 10, and the covering plate is provided with an opening 26 through which extends the nut 12 and hence the covering plate 25, moves inward or outward with the nut 12 andthe corresponding stretching and shaping member 13. By the arrangement described the surface for the rim of the hat to rest on is continuousto permit of pressing or ironing the rim whenever it is desired to do so.y To the under side of each covering plate 25 is Asecured a slide 27 engaging at its sides guideways 28 formed onthe top of a lining 29 fitted into the corresponding recess 11. By the arrangement described the covering plate 25' and itsslide 27 engaging the guideway 28 serve to properly guide the corresponding nut 12 and its stretching and lshaping member 13 inlany desired extent by turning the corresponding screw rod 15 with a view to more or less move the corresponding stretching and shaping member 13 in an outward direction, to give the desired shape to the hat to lit the customers head.

Each of the screw rods 15 is adapted to be locked in place after the corresponding stretching and shaping member is moved into the` desired position, and for this purpose use'is made of locln'ng catches 35 mounted to swing on pivots 36 attached to the sides of thebase 10. Each catch 35 is provided at its free. end with a sharp eccentric edge 37 adapted to engage a corresponding thread on the screw rod 15 to hold the latter against turning, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 5.

Each of the stretching and shaping members 13 is provided with one or more auxiliary stretching and shaping members, each in the form of a screw 40 extending radially and screwing in the corresponding main stretching and shaping member 13. Each of the screws 40 is provided with a conical head 41 adapted to be normally seated in a counter-sink 42 formed in the outer face of the corresponding main stretching and shaping member 13. When it is desired to stretch a particular portion of the lower part of the crown of the hat for accommodating a bump or other projection then the corresponding screw 40 is screwed outward so that the head 41 is located a distance from the outer face of the corresponding main stretching and shaping memberV 13, as will be readily seen by reference to Fig. 4. It will be noticed that the portion of the crown in contact f'with the projected head 41 of the screw 40 provides a special recess in the crown to i j accommodate a bump or other projection on lthe wearers head.

When it is desired to elongate or stretch the crown in one direction only then use is ymade of a segmental stretching and shaping ,13, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1. `top of the middle portion of this segmental -member 50 having a boss 51 at its middle adapted to be seated on the outer face of one of the end stretching and shaping mmbers n the stretching and shaping member 50 is fastened a clip 52 by the use of a screw or other -fastening means 53, and this clip 52 is made of spring steel fitting over the top and inner face of thecorresponding main stretching and shaping member 13 to hold the seg-v mental auxiliary stretching` and shaping member 50 in position on this particular main stretching and shaping. member 13 to move with the latter into stretching and shaping position (see Figs. 1 and 2).

When it is desired to stretch or shape the base portion of the crown of a hat then use is made of an evener band 160, preferably made of sheet metal and fitting exteriorly around the several main stretching and shaping members 13, as plainly indicated in Fig. 6. The band .60 is provided at one end with a loop 61 through which extends slidingly the other end of the band, andthis other end of the band is provided with a spring clip 62 adapted to engage one of the main stretching and shaping members 13 to hold the band in position while in use. This clip l62 is similar to the clip 52 and hence furthery description of the same is not deemed necessary. By reference to Fig. 6, it will benoticed that any one of the main stretching and shaping Vmembers 13 or any one of the auxiliary stretching and shaping members 40 may be moved into an outermost position to act on the band so that the latter makes a bridging connection between adjacent stretching and shaping members 13 or between the members 13 and 40 moved into outward position, as shown in Fig. 6. A i

From the foregoing it will be seen that by the arrangement described a salesman can readily adjust the -various stretching and shaping members to correctly stretch a hat with a view to accurately fit the same on a wearers head. 1t will also be noticed that any particular part of the lower crown portion of the hat may be stretched and shaped to accommodate a bump or other protuberance or irregularity on the customers head.

The hat stretcher and Shaper is simple in construction, very durable and not liable to get easily out of order.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent Y 1. A hat stretcher and shaper, comprising a base, a series of stretching and shaping members mounted to slide radially on the said base toward and from a common center, each stretchingand shaping member having a depending nut, and radial screw rods screwing in the said nuts and having their inner ends abutting against the base and having their outer ends projecting from the side edge of the base.v 1

2. A hat stretcher and shaper, comprising a base having radially disposed recesses, guideways in the said recesses, stretching and shaping members mounted to' slide radially on' the said guideways and having depending nuts extending into the recesses and radially disposed screw rods screwing in the nuts and having their inner ends abutting against the inner walls of the said recesses, the outer ends of the said screw rods proj ecting beyond the edge of the base.

3. A hat stretcher and shaper, comprising a base having radially disposed recesses, guideways held in the said recesses, stretching and shaping members rising from the top of the base and having depending nuts extending into the recesses, covering plates moving with the said stretching and shaping members and sliding on the said guideways, the said covering plates covering the said recesses and being flush with the top of the base, and screw rods screwing in the said nuts and having their inner ends abutting against the inner walls of the said recesses, theouter ends of the said screw rods having handles projecting beyond the edge of the base.

4f. A hat stretcher and shaper, comprising a base having radially shaped recesses, guideways in the said recesses, stretching and shaping members mounted to slide radially on the said guideways and having dependinv nuts extending into the recesses and radially disposed screw rods screwing p in the said nuts and having their inner ends abutting against the inner walls of the said recesses, the outer ends of the said screw rods projecting beyond the edge of the base, and screws screwing in the said stretching and shaping members and having heads at their outer ends forming supplementary stretching and shaping members.

5. A hat stretcher and shaper, comprising a base having radially disposed recesses, guideways in the said recesses, stretching and shaping members mounted to slide radially on the said guideways and having depending nuts extending into the recesses and radially disposed screw rods screwing in the said nuts and having their inner ends abutting against the inner walls of the said recesses, the outer ends of the said screw rods projecting beyond the edge of the base, and screws screwing in the said stretching and shaping members and having heads at their outer ends forming supplementary stretching and shaping members,4 the outer faces of the said stretching and shaping members having countersinks and the said heads being adapted to fit the said countersinks to be flush with the outer faces of the stretching and shaping members.

6. A hat stretcher and shaper, comprising a base having radially disposed recesses, guideways held in the said recesses, stretching and shaping members rising from the top of the base and having depending nuts extending into the recesses, covering plates moving with the said stretching and shaping members and sliding on the said guideways, the said covering plates covering the said recesses and being Hush with the top of the base, screw rods screwing in the said nuts and having their inner ends abutting against the inner walls of the said recesses, the outer ends of the said screw rods having handles projecting beyond the edge of the base, and an auxiliary segmental stretching and shaping member fitting exteriorly against the outer face of one of the said firstnamed stretching and shaping members and a clip on the said segmental auxiliary stretching and shaping member and adapted to fasten the latter to the corresponding stretching and shaping member.

7. In a hat stretcher and shaper, a movable stretching and shaping member having a threaded aperture countersunk inthe outer face of the said stretching and shaping member, and a screw screwing in the said threaded aperture and having a head adapted to be seated on the said countersunk outer end of the aperture to be flush with the outer face of the stretching and shaping member.

DAVID FREEDLINE. 

